Creating Podcasts

Setting Up a Podcast and Creating EpisodesPodcasts are like radio or television shows. They are comprised of several episodes, which are published over time. Depending on the nature of your podcast, you may be able to quickly create an episode, but an episode is a small part of the whole. Every podcast is composed of two parts, the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) file and the content files. The RSS feed is the heart of the podcast, it contains information about the podcast as a whole, like the name of the podcast, the author, and the URL of the accompanying web page. It also contains information about each episode, including name, date published, and the location of the episode content. The content files are typically audio files (in .mp3 or .m4a format) or video files, but can be any type of file that your audience’s podcatcher can handle.

Several software applications can be used to create RSS files, record episodes, and publish the podcast to the web. CIRT staff will gladly assist you in choosing the software and developing a procedure that will fit your podcasting needs. Please e-mail us at cirtlab@unf.edu to set up an appointment.

Recording Software

Audacity – Audacity is an excellent, free audio recording and editing software available for Windows and Mac.

GarageBand – GarageBand is a music and podcast creation and recording software that comes installed on Apple computers. GarageBand's interface makes it easy to create chapters for enhanced podcasts.

Camtasia Studio – Camtasia is a screen capture software that can save screen capture videos and narrated PowerPoint presentations in a video podcast format. This software is available for faculty use in CIRT.